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Visual Kei
Visual Kei (ヴィジュアル系''; Bijuaru Kei'') is a Japanese music movement that has been popular since the 1980's, the artists often wear makeup, elaborate hairstyles, and costumes, sometimes coupled with androgynous aesthetics and occasionally drawing inspiration from anime. Many sources claim that Visual kei refers to a whole genre of music, or to a subgenre of Japanese popular music. Others, however, claim that it is a subcultural movement, defined by its unique fashion, aesthetics, and the music associated with it. History Visual Kei began in the 1980's, with bands such as X Japan, D'erlanger, Buck Tick and Color. Inspired by the punk, glam metal, and gothic rock movements, the first wave of bands put emphasis on shocking visuals, often done through elaborate stage performances, eccentric hairstyles, and flamboyant attire, traits that would become staples of the entire movement. The term "visual kei" is said to have originated from one of X Japan's slogans: "Psychedelic violence/Crime of visual shock" In the mid 1990's, Visual Kei's popularity began to increase, and with that came new bands emerging. By the late 1990's, however, many mainstream Visual Kei bands have either broken up or opted for less dramatic attire. The early 2000's saw a new wave of Visual Kei bands, partly due to the increasing popularity of modern heavy music subgenres such as metalcore, hardcore punk, and alternative metal, as well as a renewed interest in the movement. Many bands in the new wave of Visual Kei perform a wide variety of music, from pop punk to death metal and even genres outside of rock such as synthpop and techno. Recently, Oshare Kei has emerged, Oshare Kei is a style of Visual Kei characterized by colorful attire, anime-inspired hairstyles, and a more mainstream approach; the style being a response to the dominance of heavy metal styles in the movement. Oshare Kei bands usually perform lighter, catchier music such as pop punk, dance pop, and alternative rock. The style was popularized by bands such as An Cafe, LM.C and Ayabie. In contrast, some Visual kei bands have transitioned into heavier, more extreme musical styles and adpoted a darker, more toned-down, and distressed visual approach. While lacking in flamboyance, their videos and live performances are often shocking and highly graphic, often drawing inspiration from ero-guro aesthetics and featuring dark, sometimes disturbing material, an approach taken by bands such as Deathgaze, the GazettE, and Dir en grey In recent years, Visual Kei has seen a sizable number of disbandments, partly due to the increasing popularity of mainstream Japanese and Korean pop acts. Despite this, Visual Kei is still a popular style of music and fashion, with many bands in the underground heavy metal and rock scenes embracing the style. Oshare Kei remains widely popular in the mainstrem scene and has seen a recent saturation of bands. Currently, Visual Kei has acquired a large international following among rock and heavy metal fans, with a handful of non-Japanese bands drawing inspiration from the movement. Characteristics Music While Visual Kei isn't bound to a specific music genre, the whole movement is generally associated with several styles of music, including, but not limited to, rock, pop, electronic music, neoclassical, industrial and heavy metal. More often, VK bands will draw influence from a number of disparate musical subgenres in order to create a distinct, experimental sound. Many VK bands revolve around a concept that guides their musical and visual approaches, a notable example being Versailles; with a neoclassical metal sound in line with their rococo-inspired visual style. It is rather common for long-running VK bands such as X Japan and Dir en grey to undergo numerous stylistic changes in terms of their sound, with the former example venturing into progressive metal and the latter eventually leaning into technical death metal. The archetypal Visual kei sound, however, is more or less rooted in hard rock and heavy metal, featuring loud, distorted guitars, vigorous vocals, emphatic drumming, and melodic hooks. Guitarists would often employ melodic power riffs and palm muting, and solos are fairly common. VK singers often have moderate to high vocal ranges, with vocal lines sung clearly. A few bands, especially those in the Oshare kei and nu metal subgenres, employ distorted or auto-tuned vocals. Screamed vocals are very common in the genre and can range from faint, breathy vocals to inhuman shrieking. It is fairly common for drummers to employ fast rhythms using double bass pedals or, as with many bands, two bass drums. Metal-influenced bands such as X Japan play pounding beats and rapid bass drumming similar to thrash or power metal bands. Even more uncommon, but not unheard of, are blast beats. Aesthetics Visual Kei artists are easily identified by their outward appearance, consisting of shaggy or spiky anime-esque hair, gothic or punk-inspired atttire, makeup, and accessories, traits that form the basis of the archetypal VK look. However, like the music, the style has no limits.VK fashion draws influence from a wide variety of well-established fashion styles and can range from the subtle to the extreme. Hair Many VK artists have dyed hair, often colored red, brown, blonde, or even blue. VK artists also opt for straightened hair, as it allows for a wide variety of hairstyles. The hair is often flipped out, curled, shaped into tufts, or molded into spikes, and is usually backcombed to ensure a soft, loose. and feathery look. Punk hairstyles like mohawks, fanned hair, devilocks, and liberty spikes are also employed, especially by bands such as X Japan and Buck Tick. Mainstream artists opt for looser, more natural styles such as side-swept emo bangs or slicked-back surfer hair. Some VK artists, partcularly in the underground scene, wear long, thick dreadlocks. In some cases, Vk artists may not style their hair at all, instead, they may let their hair fall freely or have their hair cut in layers. Clothing and Image Visual kei fashion is characterized by individuality, aesthetic appeal, clothing combinations, and a non-mainstream sensibility. VK fashion is based around an ecletic fusion of rock, punk, metal, and contemporary fashion, however, there are very few, if no rules or limits at all, as to what Visual kei artists can wear, and it is very common among the VK subculture for artists to experiment with different fashion styles. Common outfit choices in VK include vests, business suits, skinny jeans, jackets, capes, and coats. Bondage gear and leather clothes are popular choices as well. Visual kei puts a huge empasis on artistic freedom, shock value, and metrosexual aesthetics. It is a unisex style, and as such, many artists opt for an androgynous look, which adds shock value and fan appeal. Male artists in Visual kei often have lean, slender figures to fit the demands of the style, and it is not uncommon for male artists to adopt a semi-feminine appearance, complete with long, stylish hair and feminine-looking attire. It is quite popular among VK artists to cross-dress or take an entirely feminine appearance, with examples like Hizaki and the late Jasmine You of Versailles, Mana of Moi Dix Mois (ex-Malice Mizer), Isshiki Hiyori of Kiryu and, formerly, Toshiya of Dir en grey, Miyavi (during the Dué le quartz era), and Yoshiki of X Japan. On the other end of the spectrum, VK bands such as The GazettE opt for more aggressive stylings, characterized by dark clothing, spiky hair and a more punk/metal image. Some bands, especially veteran VK acts and Oshare kei artists may go for a more toned-down, semi-casual visual approach. Many VK acts also opt for a more westernized appearance, often done through the use of minimal make-up, unstyled hair, and western outfits such as business suits or jackets. Extreme metal acts such as Dir en grey take it a step further, dropping most, if not all, of the visuals in favor of a highly distressed, messy, and rugged look similar to western death metal or black metal bands. The abundance of male VK musicians is deeply connected to its musical roots as well as its target audience, which is mostly composed of female heavy metal fans. In contrast to the dominance of male Visual Kei artists and bands, however, there are a few notable female artists that draw influence from or are associated with the movement, with notable examples such as Kanon Wakeshima; a baroque pop artist produced by Mana, and the all-female VK bands Danger Gang and Exist Trace.